American Airlines and British Airways (BA) say they have "resumed their efforts to develop a global marketing alliance" by seeking US Department of Transportation (DOT) approval to share codes on dozens of routes.
The carriers say in a statement issued by American that they have applied for approval for BA to add its code to American's flights between Chicago and the UK cities of Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.
BA is seeking to add its code to flights operated by American, American Eagle and Business Express "between BA's US gateways and 31 other US cities."
American is concurrently seeking to add its code to BA's flights between Manchester and New York, and to BA's flights "beyond American's UK gateways to more than 40 points in the UK, the rest of Europe and Africa."
The carriers say they are requesting "expedited approval" to allow for code-sharing to start in time for the summer 2000 travel season, adding that their request is in line with the terms of the existing Bermuda II air services agreement.
The application comes nearly four months after the DOT blocked the carriers from obtaining anti-trust immunity for their alliance amid the failure of the USA and the UK to forge a new air services agreement.
BA had already been told that its alliance with American would not obtain European Commission approval unless it gave up 267 weekly slots at London's Heathrow airport.
Don Carty, American's chairman and chief executive officer, says that after the DOT vetoed anti-trust immunity for the alliance in July, "we made a commitment to continue developing our alliance... in ways that would not require antitrust immunity."
"Today we are making good on that commitment," Carty adds.
BA chief executive Bob Ayling says the application "is an example of how we can broaden and deepen our relationship within the existing bilateral agreement between the US and the UK.
"It will bring greater choice to customers of both airlines, and provide more competition to the other alliances."
Source: Flight Daily News
